Teens

Can Getting the HPV Vaccine Help If I Already Have Genital Warts?

Can vaccination for HPV virus help someone who already has genital warts? Will it help to protect my partner?
- Mel*

Getting the HVP vaccine is definitely still a good idea for you. That's because there are different types of HPV — some that cause warts, and others that cause cancer. Even if you have already been infected with the type of HPV that causes genital warts, you can still protect yourself against the types that can cause cancer since you may not be infected with those types yet.

If you get vaccinated now, it won't protect your partner, though. But your partner can be vaccinated too. Both guys and girls should be vaccinated against HPV to help prevent the spread of the disease.

Even if you and your partner have both been vaccinated, always use condoms for any type of sex (oral, anal, or vaginal). Condoms help prevent the spread of the types of HPV that are not covered by the vaccine. And, of course, condoms also help protect against other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).